Measure Source

Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), Home Health Quality Initiative.

Table

1.128 Percent of improvement in dyspnea for home health episodes, by State, 2002 and 2004.

Data Source

Calculated by the Center for Health Services and Policy, Research, University of Colorado, from Outcome and Assessment Information Set (OASIS) data.

Denominator

All home health episodes that begin and end in 2002 and 2003.

Numerator

Episodes in which a person's dyspneic status improved compared to a prior assessment.

Comments

The OASIS instrument measures dyspneic status on a 4-level scale from 0 (never short of breath) to 3 (dyspnea at rest). Episodes are not included for persons who are at the highest level and cannot improve any more.

Risk-adjusted rates are available for State estimates only. Particulars about risk adjustment and further information about this and other measures of the Home Health Quality Initiative are available at http://www.cms.hhs.gov/center/quality.asp.